Instagram helps you hide unwanted photos instead of deleting them

That sloppy Instagram selfie from 2 AM on the walk home. That glut of ice coffee compositions. That once-happy vacation photo with your ex. There are no shortage of reasons to delete your old Instagram missives, whether it's to ensure consistency of your personal brand (ugh), broken hearts, or just old-fashioned shame. Now, however, there's another option -- well, if you're one of the early testers. Instagram is testing a new "archive" option in addition to the typical (still permanent) delete option.

Tapping on the three-dot option tap on individual 'grams opens up the usual menu of post options, with archive taking the top spot. Any images you do decide to hide away from your main page remain available for private viewing. The feature further nudges those primary Instagram posts into a different category from anything you choose to upload to Stories — an extra curation option for photos that you don't want in your profile forever. It might also lead users to share more impermanent clips and photos to Stories rather than leaving them on profiles.

A spokesperson told TechCrunch that the archive option sends your now unloved photos a private space for personal viewing. The company says it'll expand availability of archive option in the coming months, so if you don't see the option just yet, give it a few weeks.